


That Makes One of Us

by ChokolatteJedi



Series: Four Humans Verse [1]
Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canonical Character Death, Chloe Decker Finds Out, Ella Lopez Finds Out, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Lucifer Takes Off, POV Multiple, Pain, Post-Episode: s02e13 A Good Day to Die (Lucifer TV), Protective Mazikeen (Lucifer TV), Tribe Night (Lucifer TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-16
Updated: 2017-02-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:28:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22860253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChokolatteJedi/pseuds/ChokolatteJedi
Summary: Maze has had enough of Chloe's attitude after Lucifer leaves. Linda has to pick up the pieces.
Series: Four Humans Verse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1644535
Comments: 1
Kudos: 67





	1. Chapter 1

“Have a good day monkey! See you when you get home!” Chloe called after Trixie before slumping against the doorframe. “If, of course, you do come home, instead of running away from your problems,” she continued much more softly.

Maze sighed pointedly.

“I just can’t believe he would leave like that!” Chloe grumbled to herself again. “I nearly _died_ and he just took off!”

Maze probably wasn’t supposed to have heard her, because Chloe had been getting quieter after each death glare that followed her complaints, but demons had exceptional hearing.

Demons also had very little patience, and Maze’s had been pushed to the breaking point waiting until the weekend had ended and Trixie had left for school this morning. Now, as Chloe slumped against the doorframe her child had just walked through, complaining yet again about Lucifer’s selfishness, Maze was done being nice.

“Listen,” she growled, spinning Chloe - no, Decker, right now - around to see her face. Decker gasped weakly, but Maze was an expert in the tolerances of a human body, and this was more shock than pain. “I am so done with this,” she continued.

Maze quickly propelled Decker into her room, and used the chains still hanging from the rafter to guarantee herself a captive audience. “You’ve done nothing but hurt Lucifer since you met, and he’s done nothing but bend over backwards for you. So you need to stop ragging on Lucifer, right fucking now,” Maze declared.

“Or what,” Decker spat back. “Or his little lapdog is gonna bite me? Did he tell you where he went? Is that it? Everyone gets a vacation except me?”

“Shut up!” Maze growled, barely holding back her transformation.

“I almost died!” Decker shrieked at her.

“And Lucifer DID DIE!” Maze screamed back.

Decker scoffed, but Maze wasn’t about to let her off that easily. “You know what happened to you? You laid in a bed, with a dozen doctors hovering around you, waiting on you hand and foot, with the good drugs to take away the pain, and Trixie cuddling up with you! HOW HARD! BOO FUCKING HOO!”

“Do you even realize what the rest of us had to go through?” Maze continued. “Lucifer DIED and went to HELL for you! I couldn’t- I- So did his mom! Die, I mean. Not that I care as much. I mean, even Ella and the Douche almost died! And ALL for you!”

Fuck. Maze knew her human skin had melted away during that last bit. Decker was finally silent, but her shock wasn’t so deep that she wasn’t capable of understanding. At least, if Maze was any judge of human shock, and that she was. Well, might as well finish.

“So yeah, Decker, you almost died. ALMOST. Which is more than I can say for everyone else last week.”

Maze was in no condition to control her face right now, so she grabbed a hoodie before she stomped out of her room and hightailed it to Linda’s. She had no idea who else could deal with Decker right now, short of magicing up Lucifer, but the Doc was her best bet.

oOo

“Chloe?” Linda called, even as she used Maze’s key to let herself into their apartment. There was no reply, but fortunately Maze had completely explained what had happened while she paced back and forth and waited for her disguise to reappear.

Linda carefully made her way to Maze’s room, and found Chloe where she had been left, hanging from her chained wrists and staring blankly at the wall. Linda was more than a little familiar with that thousand yard stare, and she knew from personal experience that confronting things head on was the best in this scenario. At least Chloe had the option of a non-demon/devil to get her through this.

Thus, Linda made the quick choice to not yet pull the keys from the drawer that Maze had said they were in. Lucifer may not lie, but sometimes a little white omission could help a patient.

“Chloe?” she said gently again.

Chloe let out a small gasp, which Linda considered good progress. She moved herself into Chloe’s line of sight, breaking her connection with the wall. Chloe trembled but her eyes darted to Linda’s for a moment.

“Okay, that’s good progress Chloe,” Linda said soothingly. “I know you’ve just had a hell of a- okay, bad choice of words there. I’m still working on that. I know you’ve just had an... _impossible_ shock. Believe me, I had the same thing not too long ago.”

“You-” Chloe managed.

“Yes, I found out the hard way as well.” Linda admitted.

“So Lucifer-”

“Is really the devil, yes,” Linda confirmed. “And Maze really is a demon. All those times they said they were from hell, or talked about god, or… just didn’t _understand_ human emotions. All real.”

“But he-”

“Yeah.”

“...”

“So when he-”

“Yeah.”

“...”

“But I-”

“ _Oh_ yeah.”

After a few more long blinks, Chloe finally managed to focus on Linda’s face. “Explain.”

oOo

Three hours, five different sets of keys, and a pot of strong coffee later, Linda and Chloe were sitting at the kitchen table.

“So wait, Lucifer actually _died_ , went to _hell_ , and found Carlisle, all to get the formula for me?” Chloe had dealt admirably with the whole “devil” thing, but was struggling to come to terms with the rest of Maze’s revelation.

“In our defense, it was the best plan we had,” Linda confessed, still a bit shaken up from her own part in it. There had been a moment - more than one, really, when she had been certain that Lucifer wasn’t actually coming back. Even after his mother joined him, when the paddles hadn’t worked again…

“So the brawl the nurses mentioned…”

“Amenadiel had strict orders to keep you in that room. We needed you to keep Lucifer mortal. I still don’t have the exact details on what happened, but I know that security tried to remove him and he… uh, _resisted_.”

They sipped in silence for a few more moments before Chloe found another question. “When Maze said I hurt him…”

“We don’t know why,” Linda admitted. “Well, not entirely, but yes, as best as they can tell, Lucifer turns mortal when he’s in close proximity to you. I don’t really understand it, and I’m not sure that they completely do either, but Lucifer assured me that that was the only reason that we were able to k- kill him, and the only reason we were able to bring him back.”

“ _That makes one of us_ ,” Chloe murmured, her hand tightening around her coffee mug. “He- he told me...”

Chloe fell silent, but instead of the broken stare of before, now she was calculating. Linda would bet that the detective was engaging in another familiar process; going back over a dozen comments, moments, and hints that Lucifer or the others had dropped. Filling in puzzle pieces that suddenly fit into a larger picture. This was the side of it that Linda was actually familiar with, as opposed to her own breakdown before, and she gave Chloe the time she needed.

oOo

“Okay, so now I feel a little bad for all those times I implied that he was sleeping with Charlotte Richards.” Chloe admitted.

A quick phone call had sent Trixie to her father’s for the night, and another had retrieved a much calmer Maze bearing pizza and some of Lucifer’s top shelf. Now the tribe, minus Ella, were curled up in the living room, doing their best to fill the remaining blanks.

“That squicked him out so bad!” Maze chortled around a mouthful of cheesy pizza. “I think he actually threw up one time. That reverse-Oedipal thing is literally one whole cellblock in hell.”

“I do recall the phrase ‘disturbingly hot’ being thrown around several times,” Linda admitted. “I think it would have been much easier on him if his mother had returned in a… shall we say, more _motherly_ body.”

“Dan got Amenadiel with it once or twice too,” Maze added smugly.

“That’s right!” Chloe clearly had another ‘click’ moment. “I did too. I said something to him about Lucifer and Charlotte - I think it physically caused him pain to think that.”

“Well, it could’ve been worse,” Maze seemed to be thinking aloud. Linda suspected she knew what was coming, but Chloe clearly didn’t.

“How?”

“He could have had sex with the real Charlotte Richards before she became his mom.”

The others both groaned, but to their surprise, another voice joined in.

“That is just wrong on so many levels,” Amenadiel complained from the doorway, looking pained.

“A-Amenadiel..” Chloe snapped back to deer in the headlights, just as she had when Maze had first returned.

“I talked to him after Linda,” Maze said nonchalantly. “Told him you knew and to keep mommy dearest far away from you.”

Chloe had become almost as protective of Lucifer as Maze was, in their time as partners, and the revelation of his mother’s manipulations hadn’t sat well with her.

“Any sign of Lucifer?” Linda asked, trying to change the topic to something slightly less volatile. Maze was the one that knew him the best, but she was also refusing to go after Lucifer, claiming to respect his desire to be alone. Amenadiel, on the other hand, had no such qualms, and had spent several years tracking down the devil and trying to return him to Hell. He had spent the tail end of the week getting in touch with a few of his contacts, once it became clear that Lucifer had really left.

“Nothing,” Amenadiel admitted. “He’s always been a bit of a sulker, so I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”

Maze snorted. “Right, sulking. _That’s_ what he’s doing.”

“I think,” Linda tried to defuse them, “That dying and going to hell would be traumatic enough for anyone to need to take a little time to themselves, devil or no.”

“Speaking of, how’s your mom?” Maze taunted.

“Upset,” Amenadiel admitted. “But more upset that Lucifer walked out on her.”

“I still can’t believe that Charlotte’s your mom! Or her… host or whatever,” Chloe said, taking a sip of her beer.

“I know, right,” Maze smirked. “I mean, I’d totally bang her if she wasn’t so despicable.”

“Come on!” Amenadiel protested.

“I mean, legs for days, smoking hot bod, probably super flexible. There’s a position we could-”

“Okay, enough, enough, I’m out of here!” Amenadiel was wearing a familiar look of disgust as he quickly backed towards the door. “I’m going to go wash my brain out with bleach and then go back to looking for Lucifer.” He made such a quick escape Linda could have believed it was divine magic.

Maze let out a raucous laugh. “I _love_ doing that!”

Even Chloe gave a small chuckle at that, and Linda counted it as a win for the day.

oOo


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Waiting for the next episodes to drop, I figured I'd expand on this fic a little. Might add some more later, or possibly do another fic in the same universe. I love me a post-reveal reckoning!

Lucifer settled down on his handsomely padded chair and took a sip of his drink. He didn’t need to eat or drink for subsistence, of course, and with his metabolism alcohol might as well have been kool-aid, but it was still nice to pretend. And if he drank in huge quantities fast enough, he could manage to actually get drunk for a short period.

But he didn’t feel like being drunk right now; he had a sunrise to enjoy. Somehow they always seemed better over a beach.

There were very few beaches in hell; real ones, at least. Mountains, pits, endless burnt forests, sure, but beaches were rare. Usually they were found alongside flaming pools, or were in imminent danger of being swallowed by a tsunami. One or two actual tropical beaches could be scrounged up in the worst nightmares of castaways, but they always whined and wailed and then some storm came and washed away their work and obscured the view. Not the best place to relax, really.

It was one of Lucifer’s favorite things about Earth, actually; beaches. If he was honest, the reason he had set up shop in LA, instead of one of the other equally appropriate places was the prevalence of gorgeous beaches in southern California.

Of course, Lucifer wasn’t in California right now, but someplace just as nice. He hadn’t told Maze when he bought this island, but she probably knew anyway. It was just large enough for a small bungalow, prominently filled with a piano. It was murder to upkeep: some chap from the main island sailed over once a month to protect it against the briny air. But more than beaches, Lucifer refused to live any place without music.

He took another sip of his scotch as the sun finally broke over the horizon.

Lucifer was surprised at how much he had come to depend on the Doctor for advice and helping him sort out his feelings. Especially after she learned the truth and stopped calling everything a metaphor, she had been exceedingly helpful.

Lucifer had approached her first, but he found her roaring drunk, still in her scrubs, and she had sobbed all over him in relief that she hadn’t gotten him or his mother permanently dead.

So, after reassuring her several times that she had done exactly what he had asked, and that he was perfectly fine, Lucifer had left the Doc to her devices and fallen back on his old standby. A beach, a piano, and a little alcohol for flavor. Give him a few weeks and he’d be his old devilish self again.

oOo

Unfortunately, without the good Doctor, soul searching was a tricky endeavor. It took chugging down roughly a keg’s worth of top shelf alcohol over the course of a single day, but Lucifer had finally figured out - or maybe just finally admitted - the truth.

Lucifer had always prided himself in not actually belonging in Hell. He might have been banished from Heaven, but he wasn’t actually a sinner, in the strictest sense. It was why he could walk freely in and out of any cell, why he could witness any kind of punishment or torture without being affected. Just like the demons who were created there, Lucifer was merely a resident, not a prisoner.

Oh, Dad still could have made him seem to be one; could have chained him up in a box like Mum. Could have knocked him off his throne and told the demons to have their way with him. But Dear old Dad never did, because it would mean climbing off his own celestial high horse and actually giving a shit about Lucifer.

And even if Dad did come down and throw Lucifer into his own cell, the same thing would happen as had happened to mum. Nothing. Hell only punished those who deserved it - the guilty - and fortunately, “guilty of disappointing dad” wasn’t a real crime on the cosmic ledger.

Even over the milenia, as he popped up to Earth, Lucifer never became a sinner. He traded favors, traded pleasures, asked about desires, but he never did anything he could feel guilty over. As he had tried to explain to Linda and Chloe over and over, “the devil made me do it” just wasn’t true.

But now, for the first time, Lucifer had felt unsafe in Hell. He had walked in and out of Carlisle’s cell and everything was normal. But then, he heard the music. There was no music in Hell; no good music, anyway. One or two particularly nasty music teachers were surrounded by off-key cacophonies somewhere, but _real_ music - no, that was as out of place as he currently was.

He shouldn’t have followed it; should have stayed outside of a cell where he could be whisked away and save Chloe, but that _music_.

And so Lucifer found himself in his own cell; his own nightmare; his own prison created by his own guilt. For the first time, Lucifer _deserved_ to be in hell. And that, that was terrifying. It didn’t matter that Mum came and got him out. It didn’t matter that he’d gotten the formula and that they’d saved Chloe.

It didn’t even matter, really, that he’d managed to remember why he had killed Uriel, and the others that had been saved by that action. Self-defence or defense of others with appropriate atonement was actually one of the few “get out of hell free” cards from that good old “thou shalt not committ murder” biggie. But even that didn’t matter.

What mattered was what resonated inside his own soul. And, deep within his soul, Lucifer believed that he now _belonged_ in Hell.

He’d just said it to Carlisle himself, hadn’t he? _“You can’t. Not until you no longer believe you deserve it. And I’ve never seen anyone pull themselves out of here.”_ Lucifer hadn’t even been able to pull himself out of it, and Mummy wouldn’t be around to save the day next time.

If he was honest, that was the reason he was laying on a lounger here on a beach, watching the sun appear to set into his empty glass where it perched on the weathered armrest.

Stabbing Uriel repeatedly was scarring, true, and so was almost losing Chloe. Even dying could certainly justify a little getaway, but those paled into insignificance in light of his new truth. If Dad did ever drag Lucifer ‘back into Hell where he belonged,’ as Amenadiel had so often threatened, it would no longer be an exile. No, it would finally be a punishment.

So, while he still could, Lucifer intended to enjoy the beach for a little while longer.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Picture tonight's guest played by Scarlett Johansson circa Iron Man 2:  
> 

In some ways, Lucifer wasn’t entirely surprised to feel a divine presence appear on his island some days later while he sat at the piano. With the exception of his imprisoned mother, Lucifer hadn’t felt another divine presence in Hell since he was cast down there. But, since coming to Earth, there had been frequent visits from Amenadiel, then Mum, and then Uriel. Even Azrael flitted around doing her job, though she never spoke to Lucifer himself.

It was almost becoming, dare he say, predictable, to feel that sudden rush behind him. Because of course they always appeared behind him, or behind a truck or something; couldn’t spoil that dramatic entrance after all.

The first time it had been Amenadiel, of course, appearing almost a year after his abdication to whine about replacing him. Lucifer had been playing the piano then, come to think of it, though in his penthouse at Lux. He had turned around to top off his drink, and when he turned back, there was big brother standing on his balcony.

The feeling hit him a split second later; the divine presence that permeated Heaven. Once it had felt like a warm, soft blanket, but it had become a straitjacket, too tight and restricting. Now, after going without it for so long, it felt for a moment as though his own divinity had been returned, but nope, it was just a taunt. Like a fresh wound being raked over glowing coals, torturous and taunting and a bloody reminder of just what he had been denied.

Azrael at least was a passing, fleeting thing, like the brief draft as the heat first kicks in, able to be shrugged off and ignored. But Amenadiel standing there, stalking towards him, grabbing his arm; It was almost as painful as when Lucifer’s divinity had first been stripped away, seconds before Michael pushed him into Hell.

Lucifer was proud to say that he had built up a tolerance over the last five years, to the point where he didn’t even realize Uriel was in Los Angeles until he wanted to be found.

The presence behind Lucifer now wasn’t Uriel; he wasn’t trapped back in Hell killing his brother over and over again. Nor was it Mum or Amenadiel checking up on him, and there were no humans within several hours sail to draw Azrael’s attention.

Still, in a way that he had never questioned, Lucifer knew exactly which sibling was standing behind him, and was fairly certain he knew exactly why she was calling.

Letting his fingers still on the piano, Lucifer took a quick belt of his whiskey before speaking. “Hello Hanael,” he said neutrally. “I trust I’ve been entertaining you over the last few years.”

Hanael’s chuckle was deep and throaty, the kind that old timey sex symbols like Lauren Bacall achieved through prodigious smoking and a blessing of genetics. “You’ve definitely become more entertaining since you came to Earth,” she agreed. “But then, you’re not the only one.”

“Please tell me you’re talking about Maze, and not Amenadiel’s pathetic attempts to seduce her?” Lucifer grimaced.

“I’m not sure you’re right about who was seducing who,” she reminded him, “but yes, Maze has given me more than her fair share of entertainment.”

Lucier finished off his drink and began playing again softly, a little Donna Summer to fit the mood. “So, come to chide me for taking a few weeks off and denying you?” he asked as nonchalantly as possible.

There was a rustle behind him, as Lucifer assumed his sister had dropped herself into the lounger by the generously named kitchenette. “Well, believe it or not, humans are still capable of joy and pleasure without your presence, dear brother,” she teased. “I’m not exactly lacking for want of you.”

Maze would have probably made a joke about their Mum here, because Dad knew she had overshared enough to give him far too clear a picture. However, Lucifer found that joke a bit too much, even for him. Of course, Hanael didn’t necessarily have the same reservation. “Of course, there’s that Charlo-”

“Don’t!” Lucifer slammed his fingers down a little harder on the keys than necessary. “Just ew,” he continued with a full body shudder. “I don’t know how that doesn’t bother you as much as it does the rest of us,” he grumbled.

“Eh, different wiring,” He could practically hear the shrug in her voice.

It was a fair point. Though his powers of Desire often went hand in hand with hers of Joy and Pleasure, there were key differences. Desire could encompass much more than sexual thrills, while pure Joy had baffled him for several millennia until he got the hang of it. Still, their shared aspects had made Hanael the sibling that Lucifer was closest to before the Fall.

She had even been, in the loosest terms, like his lieutenant in the rebellion. In fact, protecting her and his other “corruptible” siblings was part of the reason his punishment had been so severe. Father had even hinted that Lucifer could keep his own divine protection if he had named names. It certainly would have made the fall into Hell much less painful.

Not that he wanted a ‘thank you’ or anything.

He segued easily from _Love to Love You_ into the more melancholy _Full of Emptiness_. “So, then, what brings you to this neck of the proverbial woods?” he asked as brightly as possible.

“I just thought that you should know something,” Hanael admitted. “Dad’s a little too distracted to keep an eye on me right now, so I thought I’d do a little deal with the devil.”

“Hah!” Lucifer couldn’t help the retort, and Hanael’s laugh echoed it behind him.

Then, suddenly, she was in front of him, leaning across the piano, her dark red curls pooling on the glossy black wood. Hanael’s huge, prismatic wings that would make the most colorful parrot jealous were half-cocked behind her, spreading down and enveloping the sides of the baby grand. “Well, it might be more accurate to say that I’m holding up my end of a deal made long ago,” she acknowledged.

Which, come to think of it, might be the closest thing Lucifer would ever get to a thank you or apology from anyone in his family. “Do tell,” he said in his most intrigued voice, instead of dwelling on that thought.

“You know the effect I can have on a mortal,” she said. And he did, as it was almost identical to his own Desire power. “So you should know that last night I used it on a very particular human.”

Lucifer felt his heart plummet to his stomach. She couldn’t be referring to who he thought she was, could she? Was he, even now, going to be manipulated by father somehow? Was this visit some kind of bargain Hanael had made to end her own slight punishment after the rebellion? Uriel had claimed to be working for father and then admitted that he wasn’t; could Hanael be doing the opposite?

“Samael!” his old name instantly halted his spiralling thoughts, and he snapped his gaze back to Hanael’s.

“I can’t say that I never Lie, Sami; that’s your thing,” she said, locking eyes with him. “But I can tell you right now. I can swear on my wings, on my very soul, that what I’m about to tell you is the truth.”

Before his fall, swearing on their wings was the strongest oath an angel could make in the Silver City. As far as he knew, Lucifer was the only one to cut his off, and even then he couldn’t sever their connection to himself, or bring himself to destroy them until pushed into it by Amenadiel.

It took him two tries to speak through his suddenly parched throat, but finally Lucifer said, “go on.”

“Your powers don’t work on her,” Hanael said, “but that isn’t true of the rest of us. Amenadiel could stop her movements; Uriel could affect her with his chains. Azrael will one day come for her. As far as we can tell, only you are tied to her in this way.”

Lucifer nodded in acceptance. He had a fairly good idea who “we” was, and why they might be interested in his relationship with Chloe. If Hanael said that Chloe’s odd immunity only applied to himself, he had to believe it. “So you paid her a little visit?” he prompted.

“And, her creation aside, she appears to have a mortal’s free choice,” Hanael continued. “You are one of the greatest pleasures and joys in her life, and that’s not a manipulated or manufactured feeling.”

Lucifer let out a breath it felt like he’d been holding since the day Chole had shot him and he’d bled. The panic that had accompanied Amenadiel’s revelation, the paranoia of being manipulated both lessened their hold on him.

Still, he had to ask. “You’re sure…”

Hanael crossed her arms and sighed heavily, in a way that should have reminded him of Amenadiel’s put-upon complaints, yet somehow never had. “There is- there is the slightest chance,” she admitted. “I could have believed, once, that it is impossible for our powers to be mistaken.”

Once, meaning before the rebellion and his Fall, he understood. Nothing like a little divine retribution to shake your faith in the unshakable.

“All I can tell you is that we spoke to her.” Hanael shrugged. “I asked her pleasures. I asked her joys. She couldn’t have lied to me in that moment, and she named you. Azazael tried to tempt her from you. Not the same way that Mom tried in the courtroom, but using all of his powers. She didn’t sway.”

Lucifer tried not to flinch at the reference to Mum’s antics. They were a pale shadow of what his other “lieutenant”, Azazael was capable of with his powers.

“If Father still somehow has his hand on her back, we can’t find it,” Hanael admitted. “Her feelings for you are un-manipulated. Orphiel thinks that father might have created her with the ability to negate your powers specifically so that you would fear that you were becoming a mortal and repent.”

And, coming from the angel of Repentance and Hope, that made a certain amount of sense, Lucifer had to admit.

“Taking away your divine protection wasn’t enough, banishing you to Hell wasn’t enough, placing Mom in hell to remind you of your loss wasn’t enough… maybe he thought that convincing you that you were becoming a mortal would finally do the trick,” Hanael offered.

“That would be just like him,” Lucifer admitted. He grabbed the decanter off the piano and refilled his glass before taking a hearty belt. “And it would mean that everything that we shared…”

“Was in spite of Father’s plan, not because of it, yes,” Hanael finished. “It would also explain why her… negation power, for lack of a better word, was aimed at you specifically, and why it did not pass to her child. It was solely created to affect you and drive you off, not to create a new race that was angel-resistant or something.”

Oh, “Maze and I forgot to check that,” Lucifer admitted. In the wake of finding out that it was Chloe that made him immortal, he hadn’t even thought to check on her little spawn. By the time he developed more than a passing acquaintance with the child, the idea had slipped his mind. But if the others were sure…

“We checked,” Hanael seemed to read his mind. Of course, after the month he’d had, Lucifer was fairly sure his mind was broadcasting on all channels like a bloody emergency alert.

Lucifer finished off the glass and then prepared to play again. “Well, that certainly puts a different spin on things,” he said, knowing that he was falling short of his usual verve, but pretending anyway.

Hanael laughed, but then nothing could keep down the angel of Joy for long. “I know it doesn’t change everything,” she admitted, “but we wanted to help, when we could. You deserved to know the truth, as best we could prove it.”

“Mmm,” Lucifer clearly heard the unsaid commentary on what he didn’t deserve to suffer. But it wasn’t the right time to get into that, nor the right family member. “Well, thank you for that, then.”

As Lucifer’s fingers dropped onto the keys in the opening chord of _Sympathy for the Devil_ , Hanael vanished in a whiff of floral perfume, a rustle of feathers, and the ghost of a gentle hand ruffling his hair.


	4. Chapter 4

Lucifer was, once again, sitting at his piano, this time idly playing Three Days Grace. It wasn’t his usual style, but every so often he dipped into the punk - dare he say emo - side of rock, and right now “Pain” just felt appropriate.

It had been a month, and he knew he should be getting back to Los Angeles, but still Lucifer couldn't bring himself to leave his sanctuary.

After Hanael’s visit, he had been tempted - so tempted - to return to Chloe and the others. He could pick up where they left off, before he thought she was just another con, and act like nothing had happened.

But in truth, Chloe wasn’t the reason he had come here in the first place. No, that was still Uriel. Still Lucifer’s own guilt and damnation. And nothing Hanael said had changed that. So, as long as Hell was now a threat to him, Lucifer needed to stay as far away from the others as possible. Far from Mum’s manipulations, and Azrael’s blade, and Chloe’s disturbing effect on him. Far from anything or anyone who could send him back to Hell permanently.

Lucifer didn’t want to abandon Maze and Chloe and the others, especially after Hanael’s message, but it was just too risky. Hence the prevalence of angst in his recent music choices.

Suddenly, a dissonant counterpoint to his playing interrupted his thoughts. “What the Hell?” he muttered, jerking back from the piano. But the music kept playing, and he finally realized it was a ringtone.

There was a small possibility that the human who tuned his piano had dropped their phone and not noticed, but it was far more likely the work of another. Knowing that he would have no idea where to find the bloody thing, Lucifer used his power to summon it to his hand. From up in the rafters, of all places, a small durable flip phone fell into his hand.

“Clever girl,” he muttered, before flipping it open. “Hello Mazikeen.”

“Stop moping and get your ass back here,” she said without preamble.

“You know I’d love to, darling…” he began.

“It sounds like that sentence is dangerously close to ending in a lie,” Maze cut him off. “But that’s beside the point. The point is that whatever issue you’re dealing with, deal faster, and get back here.”

“You wouldn’t understand, Maze-” he started, but she interrupted again.

“Why? Because I don’t have a soul? Because I’m not supposed to have emotions? Because I’m just your _lapdog_?”

The last word was as close to a sob as Lucifer had ever heard his shadow speak, and he felt his resolve waver. Someone else spoke in the background, and he could tell it was the Doctor, even if her words didn’t make much sense.

“You’re not just a demon, remember.”

Lucifer chose to ignore that non sequitur and focus on Maze. “You know I didn’t mean it that way, Mazie.”

“Oh, do I?” she snapped. “Then come say it to my face! Maybe then I’ll believe you!”

And there it was, the second challenge to his word. The kind of thing that used to make him explode with sanctimonious outrage. Now, compared to spending an eternity stabbing his brother repeatedly, it almost seemed like less trouble than it was worth to defend himself.

There was a bit of a shuffle on the other end of the phone, and then a completely different voice spoke, jolting Lucifer to his core.

“Lucifer? It- it’s Chloe. Listen, I have to tell you something, but I don’t want to do it over the phone. Please come home.”

Hearing her voice almost completely broke Lucifer’s resolve to stay away.

“Trixie misses you, you know,” she added, completely misreading his relationship with the little ankle-biter. “Dan and Ella too, in their own ways. And obviously Maze and I miss you.”

“I don’t miss him!” Maze flared in the background.

“Now that’s a lie,” Linda said, just at the edge of his enhanced hearing range.

“Oh whatever,” Chloe said in exasperation. “I’m not going to sugar coat it for you, Lucifer. Like Maze said, you need to get your ass back in Los Angeles right now. You owe me.”

Lucifer was tempted to rage, to ask if killing himself and almost being damned to Hell forever wasn’t enough to do for her. To ask why killing his own brother to protect her didn’t somehow tilt the scales in his direction. To demand how much more he could possibly owe her. But she never believed him, and she’d probably just get even more upset at his “lack of caring”.

Lack of caring was the opposite of his problem.

Someone must have given her a silent look, because he didn’t hear anything, but suddenly Chloe’s tone changed. “Lucifer, I want to talk to you. In person. Please come home.”

And, no matter how much he had given her, Lucifer knew he would give her this as well. “I just need to-”

“Now, Lucifer.” she said sternly.

“Well I can’t exactly teleport, you know; it may take me more than a minute to get back,” he growled.

“Now, Lucifer.” It wasn’t a demand this time, but an entreaty.

Lucifer closed his eyes and leaned back, tempted to ask for a little divine intervention, but the cure would be worse than the disease. Instead, he said the only thing he could. “As you wish, Detective.”

oOo

Travel was certainly easier and faster with his wings, but there was a reason that Lucifer owned a Cessna Citation and a private airstrip on the next island over in the archipelago. He was airborne within the hour, filing flight plans on the fly, so to speak.

Several hours later, though not as many as it felt, thanks to the time change, Lucifer was pulling the corvette out of LAX. He assumed that the girls would be at Chloe and Maze’s apartment, and headed in that familiar direction.

There was a chance that they were at Lux, but he was fairly certain that, even if they had been there originally, what with it now being four AM they were probably asleep in their own beds.

The real shocker, as he pulled up, was to see that the living room lights were on. Surely they hadn’t waited up for him? He thought had made it fairly clear that he couldn’t just pop halfway ‘round the world on their say so. He wasn’t a bloody angel any longer.

A short burst of laughter halted Lucifer just short of the door. They hadn’t fallen asleep with the lights on, but were still awake for some reason. So much for just sneaking in and checking on them.

Resigned, he gave a quick knock before opening the door and letting himself in. “So I take it you missed me, hmm?” he asked jovially.

Maze was just inside the door - she’d probably heard the car, he realized - talking on her phone. With a quick, “He’s here. Thanks, Amenadiel,” she hung up, but Lucifer now knew the culprit who had probably let them know when his plane landed.

When Maze moved out of the way, Lucifer saw the others, and his bright, fake smile faltered slightly. Even more surprising than them being awake, to Lucifer, was seeing exactly who was there. Maze and Chloe were expected, of course. The Doctor was probable, since he had heard her there on the phone. But Ella was completely unexpected. “Well, it looks like the whole gang is here!” he said brightly, stalling for a moment.

“We prefer Tribe, but yeah,” Maze corrected him.

“Oh, my mistake. I shall let you get back to your manicures,” he pretended innocence.

“Oh get over here you big lug,” Ella practically vaulted over the couch to wrap him up in a hug. While he was somewhat used to her tendency to lunge at people, Lucifer was admittedly a bit surprised that she had beaten Chloe to the punch.

However, when he looked over at the Detective, she was eyeing him with an unusual expression. Finally, he placed it, just as Ella gave one last squeeze and then released him.

“Can I see it?” Chloe asked quietly.

Lucifer immediately looked to Maze: she couldn't possibly be asking what he thought she was. Maze dropped her gaze, looking as sheepish as a demon could. “You- you?”

“I was upset,” Maze shrugged and the remorse slid away to be replaced by her usual brashness. “It slipped.”

“That’s a pretty big slip!” Lucifer burst out. “And what about-” he gestured vaguely at Ella.

“Well after our visitors two weeks ago, there didn’t seem to be much point in excluding her,” Maze shot back.

“Two- oh. Right, Hanael and Azazael.” He had somehow managed to ignore the potential side effect of their “tests”, and that it might just have broken his little secrecy act.

“Kinda let the cat out of the bag,” Ella agreed sagely.

“And was that before, or after, the…” Lucifer twiddled his fingers at Maze’s face.

“After.” Maze confirmed.

“I was just here for the ice cream and beer,” Ella explained. “But after the whole revelation, I talked her into confirming it.”

“So, can I see it?” Chloe asked again, patiently.

Lucifer sighed. He should have known better than to try and derail the Detective for long. But if she’d already seen Maze and not run screaming… if she’d met Hanael and Azazael… he’d come so close to this moment so many times, but now that it was here…

His human mask slid away almost unconsciously, and after a beat Lucifer forced himself to bring his gaze back up to meet Chloe’s.

There was a little bit of fear in her gaze, sure, but that was also a direct side effect of the power of his devil face. More importantly, she wasn’t screaming in terror, which put her far above almost everyone else who ever saw it.

Chloe opened her mouth again, but before she could say whatever she was intending, Ella sobbed and threw herself at Lucifer again, pinning his arms and keeping him rooted to the spot. Chloe cleared her throat and, with incredible calm, said, “Maze- Maze said it happened when you…”

“When I Fell into Hell?” Lucifer finished. “Yep. Side effect of going through the flaming gates when your divine protection has been stripped away. It’s like walking through a carwash made of sandpaper. And fire. I don’t recommend it.” Chloe was starting to look a little teary, and Ella was sniffling into his side. With a little more effort than usual, Lucifer managed to reapply his mask, approximating his old, angelic, face.

"Does it hurt?" Chloe asked.

"Not anymore," he hedged. Not that it hadn't hurt like bloody lava in his veins for the first millennia.

“Did your father know that was going to happen?” Linda spoke up. Lucifer realized it was something they hadn’t covered before.

“Well he does like to claim to be all knowing, so…” Lucifer shrugged and then pulled his arm up out of Ella’s grip to gratefully accept his flask from Maze. After a giant gulp of the contents, which turned out to be Spirytus*, he raised the flask and mouthed “cheers” to his faithful minion.

“Okay, one-night exemption,” Linda declared. “Lucifer can join the tribe and help us finish off all of this junk food.”

Ella didn’t give him a chance to say no, as she started dragging him towards the couches. Chloe stopped them halfway there, however, to give Lucifer her own hug. Ella squirmed out of the pile and let Chloe take over. After a long, gentle hug, Chloe finally resumed the trek to the couches, and tugged Lucifer down beside her.

As Maze and Ella dished out the junk food and sweets, Lucifer realized that, against all odds, he had found three humans who actually accepted his devil side.

“Four, actually,” Maze whispered in his ear as she passed him the whole bottle of Spirytus.

“Four?”

“Believe it or not, Trixie took it better than Chloe,” Maze teased.

“You told the _child_?”

“Actually,” Chloe said self-deprecatingly, “the _child_ told _me_.”

“Oh. Uh, right!” Lucifer took another deep drink. It looked like, against all odds, he had found _four_ humans who actually accepted his devil side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Spirytus is a Polish Vodka that is apparently the strongest alcohol on Earth, even above Everclear.


End file.
